Division 4 Softball Finals: Kalamazoo Christian vs. Rogers City

The Hurons take a 3-1 lead when Morgan Hall slaps an RBI-double down the left field line to score Sarah Meredith.

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Kalamazoo Christian gets a two-out double from pinch hitter Cara Knasel and she scores on an RBI single by Erica Block, but Rogers City shuts down the game from there.

SIXTH INNING

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Rogers City goes down in order for the first time in the game.

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After Rogers City retires 15 consecutive K-Christian batters, the Comets get back-to-back singles from Tori Sides and Kara Gjeltema. Radke got VanDam to flyout to deep center field to end the inning.

FIFTH INNING

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Morgan Hall gets on base with a one-out single and came around to score on a double by Quaine, who then reached third base when Fleury reached base on a wild pitch, allowing Quaine to advance to third base. VanDam again shuts down the inning with a strikeout.

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K-Christian can’t figure out Radke as Rogers City has now retired 13 consecutive batters.

FOURTH INNING

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Rogers City starts the inning with a single and reaches second on a sacrifice bunt and then reaches third on an error. The Hurons had runners on the corners with two outs, but VanDam shuts down the inning with a strikeout

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For the third consecutive inning, K-Christian goes down in order. Hurons pitcher Nikki Radke has retired 10-straight batters.

THIRD INNING

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Rogers City’s Logan Flemming reaches first base with one out on a throwing error and then steals second. The Hurons’ Courtney Streich then reaches on an error and Flemming advances to third, before scoring on an RBI-single by Sarah Meredith. Rogers City eventually loads the bases with two outs, but VanDam strikes out.

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K-Christian goes three up, three down for the second consecutive inning.

SECOND INNING

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Rogers City’s Alexa Quaine singles to start the inning and advances to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Kayla Fleury, but for the second consecutive inning that’s where the action stopped for the away team as K-Christian recorded the final two outs to shut down the scoring threat.

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K-Christian goes three up, three down as Rogers City pitcher Nikki Radke records her third strikeout in the half-inning.

FIRST INNING

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Courtney Streich knocks a single into center field with one out and she gets over to second on the second out, but K-Christian gets out of the inning with a flyout. Rogers City batters seem very disciplined at the plate

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Morgan Locker reaches base, but Tori Sides goes down on strikes for the first out and Kara Gjeltema reaches on a fielder’s choice, but Locker is thrown out at second on the play. Bekah VanDam lines a single into right-center and reaches second on an error when the outfielder misplayed the ball. Gjleltema scored from first because of the error.

EAST LANSING, MI -- The Kalamazoo Christian softball team will be looking to repeat as Division 4 champions today when the Comets take on Rogers City in the title game at 5:30 p.m.

The game is a rematch of last year's semifinals, when K-Christian knocked off the Hurons 2-0 to advance to the title game and win the championship with a 16-6 win over Ubly.

Rogers City (33-6) defeated Fowler 11-1 on Friday to advance to today's championship game. The Hurons have not played in a championship game since 2004, when they lost to Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes 12-0 in the D-4 title game. Before that, they lost to Niles Brandywine 6-1 in the Division 3 title game in 2001.

K-Christian is looking to establish a dominant program like it had in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the Comets won six Class C/Division 3 state championships in seven years from 1996 to 2002, including five straight from '96 to 2000.

Follow along during today's game for live updates during each inning and insight throughout the game.

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